The Struggle for the Working Class

One of the greatest extremes in Peru can be found in people’s
standard of living.

We can arrive at this conclusion if we consider that
many families in Lima, especially the immigrants from the highlands, live on an
average of 1,000 soles (or less) a month (equivalent to less than $300), while,
by contrast, there are also many families who spend that sum on a ticket for entertainment
or other things as insignificant as that.

Here in Lima, when the rich neighborhoods had already been
established, the poor people in the city and the new arrivals from the
highlands built huts around them, moving onto land that already had owners.
Frequently, these people were cheated by someone who was not the owner and sold
them the land with false property titles, but, nonetheless, something like a
belt was formed by these settlements. The homes themselves were very modest, generally
shacks with dirt floors covered by mats, which is all you need since it does
not rain in Lima.

These settlers had left their villages in the provinces,
in some cases because of the poverty and in others to escape terrorism. At the beginning,
these suburbs were called “barriadas” (shanty towns) and now we call them “pueblos
jóvenes” (young towns). Although most of them are quite similar one stands out.
It is called “Villa El Salvador.” The difference is that it did not develop in the
form of an invasion, but was planned by a former president who wanted to give
land to the poor. And, indeed, it has progressed greatly
since its establishment and become a district. An industrial park has been
built there, along with a housing resort, lawns and recreational
areas. It is named the “Villa
Panamericana” and was intended to host the athletes of the “Panamericano” (Pan-American
games) that were held in Lima during July and August. And now, after the games,
these facilities are used by the residents in this area.

In Lima there are tremendous extremes in two more areas:
health and education. The people living in the “pueblos jóvenes” receive very poor
health care, and most of them do not have access to good schools for their
children, although many work very hard in the hope of seeing their children
obtain a university degree.

In terms of health care, we can say that here the
patient care for the poor is very bad. If a poor person needs help, the date of
the appointment that is given to them is so far in the future that most of the
time, when the day arrives, this patient has already recovered or has died.
Besides, very frequently, hospital personnel are on strike due to their low
salaries or, at other times, there is a lack of material in those institutions,
and, on these occasions, the patients are denied care. In addition to the
hospitals, there are also free medical clinics, but it is very difficult to receive
care there because they are generally crowded. In
some cases, there have even been situations where two women who were going to
give birth had to share a bed. And if someone succeeds in receiving care, the
cost of medicine in the pharmacy is so high that they cannot buy it. And very little
of the medicine prescribed is sold in these pharmacies. Most of the time, a
relative must go to one that is strategically placed very close to these
medical centers and pay a more expensive price than normal to get the medicine.

In the past, there were two hospitals for workers, the
“Hospital del Empleado” (Employee Hospital) and the “Hospital Obrero” (Workers’
Hospital), and care was good in both, although the former was a little better
due to its higher resources. Then the government had the two hospitals merged,
and care declined in the former because it had to share its resources with the latter.

However, the treatment there still remained
acceptable. But a few years ago, a president “populista” (populist) stipulated
that all the poor people of Lima should receive medical services there, no
matter whether they worked or not or if they paid or not. Naturally, the number
of people to be treated exceeded their capacity, so the quality of care fell.

The health care offered in Lima’s private clinics to
people with economic resources differs greatly from the kind offered to the
poor in the health centers. We have already seen how health care is offered (or
denied) to the poor in our capital. By contrast, the people who can pay what is
asked or who have health insurance can go to one of the various private clinics
in Lima when an emergency occurs and receive at least satisfactory treatment.

If we talk about education, there are also extremes in
this area. The upper classes receive an acceptable education, but the poor do
not. This gap has been narrowing in some cases over the last few decades due to
access to the internet. Parents and children of modest means may use it in the
special “cabinas” (cabins) created for that purpose here and in the suburbs by paying
a little money.

But poor people are often cheated by bad universities
whose titles do not help them get a job. However, we can say that 10% or 20% of
young people with a few resources manage to join the professional working
class. Here too, globalization is making a difference, as now it is easier to
study for a career or even obtain a graduate degree, virtually, or at least with
classroom time only on weekends.

But the most extremes situation is found in the income
earned by workers.

In Lima, Peru, many women are home workers. Most of
them come from the villages to the capital in search of a better life, but few
really get it because most of the time their salaries are too low.

Another group of workers whose income is extraordinarily
low in Lima can be seen in the “wachimanes” (security guards). At present there
are thousands of these employees here. Almost every great house must have one
of them guarding the door. Most buildings have one, and, in the neighborhoods
where the people are not so wealthy, they have one for each block. The reason
is the increase in crime. In the beginning most of the men handling this task
were soldiers of the Peruvian army, but now anybody, even people without formal
training, may work as one.

In the apartments of buildings where middle age
couples live, there is often a surplus of food, which is given to the
wachimanes, who also receive electric appliances that are no longer used. If
they are bachelors, as they frequently are, that is enough to solve their more
urgent problems since, being well fed, their health is generally good.

Nonetheless, young professionals can earn a higher
income if they know how to do construction work or make home repairs. The
problem with these workers is that, even when they are skilled, as they generally
are, construction workers are often paid the minimum wage and are unhappy
because they have other expectations. Yet, they continue working due to the lack
of other opportunities to get a better job and because they do not want to risk
what they have, since at least it gives them a certain security, although it
does not secure their future.

To close, it should be repeated that extremes are widespread in Peru. We find them in health care, education and, above all, income. It continues to be extremely difficult for the uneducated and educated working class to make a decent living. Nonetheless, we still hope for an improvement.